Friday, 29th November 2024, 6:56 pm
"Brother, I have summoned you repeatedly. I know you hear me." A voice rings out, not audibly, but spread out instantly across the universe for all to hear.
But only one other would have the ability to do so.
"..."
"Brother! Please! I beseech you!"
"Argh! Why do you insist on conversing in their detestable tongue? Speak through the paenessence, this barbaric weaseling of words serves us no purpose."
"Their writings of war! I told you, Brother! They have learnings about the art of combat that I know well you would be much appreciative of. Most notably, living as one's enemy to understand how they think and work. So, it makes particular sense that we should converse in their ways to better understand them. There is so much these creatures have to offer our learnings…"
"Bah! They are insects. I have nothing to learn from creatures unblessed by the touch of paenessence. Never in an eon of eons."
"Yes, because I do. I learn and plan, you do war. Just as Father wanted. And I tell, Brother, there is so, so much to learn from these creatures!"
"Then you learn, call me when there is war to be done."
"Oh, my dear Brother! Please! Come sit with me for a moment! I have prepared a bounty of delicacies. It would be a tremendous shame to see my efforts wasted on all but myself. Brother, please…"
"Do you have… the meat tube?"
"Burrito. It's called a Burrito. You really should learn the names."
"If there's no meat tubes, then we have nothing further to discuss."
"Argh! You insufferable oaf! I wanted to surprise you, but your stubbornness would never allow such forms of flattery, now would it?"
"Surprise?"
"One of them has ascended. Touched by the paenessence, as it were."
"What attestation have you?"
"You shall have to just trust me, Brother. In fact, if you were to join me posthaste, I may even allow you the pleasure of greeting the touched one."
"..."
"You heard me correctly. I'm quite interested in what it's capable of, myself. These 'humans' have proven exceptionally interesting and extremely resourceful in the manipulation of paenessence. How many eons, brother. Eons we have spent fulfilling Father's will across all existence. To think we would find such wondrous creatures hidden so deep within the Eternal Void, and to think yet more, that they may hold the key to Father's salvation!"
"Your speech is excessive. I will come. Do not dare bombard me with this insufferable language when I arrive. Prepare the meat-tubes!"
On the dark side of the moon, a strange scene was afoot. In the shadows of a deep crater, far hidden from the sensors and measures of humanity, an entity far beyond this universe prepares for the arrival of its kin.
The entity works diligently beneath a dome of pure aether, using its power over the substance to assist it in its various tasks.
It stands erect, arms crossed, telepathically paging through a book that floats before him. He rises more than five meters tall from feet to the top of his tallest horns, four of which jut out from his forehead and temples. Long, slender arms give in to thin, delicate fingers and hands covered in supple, soft-pink, baby-like skin. His body is draped in a tight-fighting, formal attire most reminiscent of a man's dinner suit. Its jacket features a black and red checkered pattern. His unbesmirched face, unmistakably shaped after that of a mature human male, features a thick, bushy beard above its mouth, the hairs of which seem to each have a life and movement of their own.
It watches as invisible hands, made of aether, create objects and trinkets out of nothingness. They build self-appearing matter into shapes of wood, metal and ceramics as the entity pages through the book, occasionally checking on its constructions.
As it works, an aether gate suddenly folds open beside it, swirling with powerful energy as another entity exits from the void in its center.
"Oh, Brother, welcome back! Oh, are you not going to take…"
"Argh! This infernal racket. It insults our very being." The new entity complains, though there is no physical source for the sound as the entity only appears as a incorporeal cloud of floating aether.
"How wonderful to see you. But please, take on your physical form. It's much more pleasing to this one's sensibilities."
"Disgusting!"
"Oh, and the meat-tube, is that disgusting too?"
"You have the meat-tubes?"
"Please assume an appropriate form and attire for the occasion, first."
"Argh!" The second entity bemoans. Its cloud form suddenly disperses, and in its place, the form of a small, human boy appears.
"Brother! This is unbecoming. Please, something more appropriate to your standing."
The entity stares at its kin and rolls its human eyes before shattering into another swirl of aether and reforming into a slightly older human male, perhaps 18 years old.
"This will suffice, any larger is a waste of paenessence." It scowls.
"Fine, at least let me dress you." The other entity sighs, and with a flick of its hands, its brother is wrapped in a beautifully flowing, deep-blue kimono embellished with shades of pink in the form of fluttering cherry blossom leaves.
"Fantastic! Do you like it, Brother?"
"Give me a meat-tube!" the entity retorts, snarling.
"One more thing, these creatures insist on naming everything. They'll want a name to call you by. May I suggest…"
"Disgusting! I need no such thing. My existence is all that needs to be known of me. Meat-tube!"
"Of course, though, they will insist, and if you don't give them a name, they'll assign you one, often less than flattering. So, please introduce yourself as The Harbinger."
"..."
"I know! It sounds very dignified. Suits you perfectly… although perhaps not in your current form … but, it will work. Trust me."
"Disgusting…"
"Yes, and you can refer to me as The Architect henceforth. But don't concern yourself with formal greetings, leave the formalities to me. Trust me, these names will really help set the ambience once we make our appearance. These creatures have an innate fondness for theatrics. Playing into their natural tendencies will definitely help foster a greater sense of danger to our presence once the nature of our involvement in the invasion is made known."
"Very well, Architect, now give me a meat-tube." the Harbinger barks.
"Oh, I have something even better! Green tea!" The Architect announces, flicking a sheet off a table in the center of the aether dome.
It reveals a beautifully prepared, and perfectly proportioned Japanese-style tea presentation.
"Please, sit!" He gestures to his kin who reluctantly squats down onto the soft cushions prepared for him. "Thank you for this indulgence. I consider it part of my learning on these creatures. It's imperative we understand them in order to help push…"
"Meat-tube! NOW!"
"Please, Brother, try the tea. I think it may surprise you with its earthly tones and bitter notes of nature." the Architect urges, taking a long gentle sip from his cup.
The Harbinger stares at his cup with concern and confusion. He grabs it with one hand, spilling most of its contents across the table, much to the Architect's vexation. He takes a big, slurping chug of his tea and promptly spits it out across the presentation. He tosses his teacup, launching it out of the aether bubble into a low orbit around the moon before staring intensely at the Architect.
"Argh! Fine!" The Architect snaps, flicking his fingers and a large plate overflowing with an assortment of burritos appears on the table. The Harbinger immediately leaps on top of it, devouring its contents without hesitation.
"For insects, those creatures have infinitely more appropriate etiquette than the likes of you, Brother."
The Harbinger looks confused as bits of food fall from his mouth while he chews.
"Yes, one of the many amazing things you would learn if you took any amount of time to read some of the books I've shared with you."
"Etiquette? Books? You even speak like them! This is unbecoming of your station. This is not of Father's will!"
"Father's will is as absolute as it is simple. Our very existence is based on it, our every action, already accounted for by him. We only live so he may experience the rest of existence through us as we fulfill his mission. Stuck as he is, in his own mind." The Architect sighs as his thoughts dwell on his father.
"And these barbaric creatures will save Father?" The Harbinger asks as he wipes chunks of meat and vegetables from his face.
"They very well may! Look at what they have accomplished in only a flicker of time. Creatures that have never experienced the touch of paenessences, able to harness its power in ways we could have never thought of. And whatsmore, their understanding of paenessence is but a fraction of what they have already achieved without ever knowing of its existence. They have created life itself from raw, archaic energies. Not even Father could achieve this. I strongly believe they hold potential far greater than even I can account for."
"Hmph. You still haven't accounted for how they found that cube of paenessence in the first place. Something else is involved, here, yet you ignore the obvious. I can feel…"
"Divine providence. Random fluctuations in boundaries of the void. Does it matter, Brother? It was the catalyst that led to their growing connection with paenessense, the key to unlocking their minds to an existence beyond the Void. And perhaps it will allow them their evolution into beings bonded to the paenessense through innovation and action, not birth or blood! Think of the possibilities, Brother!"
"Ugh, too much talking! You said I could greet one. One that has been touched. Where is it?"
The Architect groans. "Yes, that's correct. However! There are some rules you must follow. Though he is only the first, there will surely be more that will be touched by the paenessense to come. Even so, for now, he is unique, a vital specimen. Do not destroy him. Push him to his limits, let us see what he is capable of, but do not destroy his connection to the paenessence, do not kill him."
"What more?"
"Oh, take heed. These creatures are absolutely obsessed with each other. Destroy one and the rest go completely crazy with thoughts of vengeance and justice. It's actually quite interesting, I've never seen such behaviour in sentient beings before. Perhaps influenced by their slow evolution or being untouched? Either way, it's bizarre! I've seen them perform impossible feats when under deep emotional distress. I suspect their true potential lies in this ability to break all boundaries when under the influence of intense, overwhelming emotions. Pushing the touched one to its limit, and overpowering its mind with overwhelming grief may well prove the key to unlocking the next stage of their evolution. What do you think?" The Architect asks inquisitively as it sips at its tea.
"I do not think. I do war! Now, are you done yet?"
"Relax, Harbinger, there is no rush. Enjoy your… meat-tubes. Time in the Eternal Void flows so slowly, it's actually quite remarkable how these creatures even manage to survive this long… according to their histories, they have existed for more than 200,000 of their years. Can you imagine that? I don't think we've seen any species, born of paenessence, that have existed for a fraction as long as these humans. Civilizations rise and fall on our worlds in the time it takes one human life to fulfill its natural span. But perhaps the most amazing thing about these creatures, the thing that absolutely sets them apart from anything we've seen before, is the nature of their sentience. Since they aren't born of paenessence, it's like their very sentience is built from physical reality, a metaphysical construct both housed in their physical minds and yet unbounded by it without need for paenessence to maintain its individuality. It's absolutely outlandish. If they die, their sentience dies with them."
"What?"
"Yes, it's just as I say, they experience no natural rebirth. Their sentience is lost to the fabric of the Void, never to affect or be affected by its contents again. Can you imagine? Living a single life… and then nothing?"
"No, I cannot nor do I care about the significance of it either. Your insistent prattling bares me no import. Either take me to meet this… human, or I return to my task at hand. Preparations for the next invasion are nearing completion." The Harbinger snarls.
"I swear! I should just ask these creatures to create me another Brother, you are absolutely intolerable!" The Architect laments. "Just wait a few more moments, we will go down to greet them soon enough. In fact, they are currently outside of The Void, the touched one has learned how to create his own hollows of existence, deep within the paenessence…"
The Harbinger's eyes widen as he turns to his brother, spitting out globs of half-chewed burrito.
"Like Father?"
"Yes, oh open-minded and well learned brother of mine. Like Father, a mere insect has the power to create worlds and existences, just like Father. And he learnt it in less than a blink of time. A tiny, little insect…"
"I need to see. If what you say bares truth, these humans may prove to be an actual threat to Father's charge!"
"Of course they will, Brother. To harness the strength needed to forge Father's salvation, they would need a power far greater than even he can hope to bear. These insects may well be the ones to bear that power! How can we deny Father a chance at his deliverance, even if it comes with a threat unlike any we've ever encountered. How many eons have passed, Brother? How many more? Why keep searching for a path to peace in the infinite oceans of paenessence, when we have found our brightest light, here, in the Endless Void?"
The Harbinger scoffs.
"Fear not, oh Harbinger." The Architectect proclaims, rising from his seat as he throws his arms into the air theatrically. "It is not in your nature to understand these intricacies. For this is the blessing our great Father has bestowed upon me. But for you, your gifts lie in the grip of glorious combat! So, come, leave the burritos, it is time you feast on death and destruction once more. The touched one has returned."